Florida shooting victims helped by GoFundMe, comfort dogs and more

Students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School used the media to speak out against gun violence after a killer murdered 17 people at their school.

Less than a month after a gunman opened fire at a high school in Kentucky, the nation is grappling with yet another school shooting.

The Feb. 14 massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, killed at least 17 people and wounded over a dozen others. The suspected gunman, identified as 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz, set off fire alarms to lure hundreds of students out of their classrooms so he could open fire with a semi-automatic AR-15 assault rifle.

Cruz was captured about an hour later in Coral Springs, roughly a mile away from the school. The following day, Cruz told authorities he shot "students that he saw in the hallways and on school grounds," according to an arrest affidavit.

“There really are no words,” Broward Sheriff Scott Israel said the day of the shooting.

But in wake of the tragedy, the deadliest school shooting since Sandy Hook in 2012, the Broward community has received an outpouring of support.

At least 17 people died after a gunman opened fire at the Florida high school on Feb. 14.
(AP)

Read on to see what’s being done to help the shooting victims, their families, the local community and beyond.

Comfort dogs arrive in Broward County

At least 18 “comfort” dogs and 33 handlers arrived in Broward County from across the country, Tim Hetzner, the president and CEO of the nonprofit ministry Lutheran Church Charities (LCC), told Fox News.

Jacob, a doe-eyed Golden Retriever, was first on the scene. He spent the day comforting students and faculty at the high school.

“Dogs are good listeners and have a unique way of knowing when people are hurting,” he said.

Like Jacob, all dogs used in LCC’s comfort dog program are Golden Retrievers – a breed chosen by the organization because “goldens are lovers by nature,” Hetzner said. LCC trains the dogs for 16 to 18 months and then places them in affiliated churches, schools and other ministries across the country.

The dogs, which are trained to the level of a service dog, travel across the U.S. with their handlers whenever there is a crisis.

While the dogs are there to comfort the students and faculty at the high school, their services are also available to parents, first responders and anyone in the Broward community “struggling with what took place.”

“We go where we’re invited," Hetzner said. “We’re there to serve people and show mercy and compassion.”

Donate to the victims' fund

The Broward Education Foundation, a nonprofit that raises money for the public schools in Broward County, has set up an official GoFundMe donation page for the victims of the Stoneman Douglas shooting.

As of Monday morning, the fund received more than $1.5 million of its $2 million goal – a significant increase from its initial goal of $300,000. The foundation will continue to increase the goal each time it's met, PeJay Ryan, the director of marketing at the Broward Education Foundation, told Fox News.

All of the proceeds will go to those affected by the tragedy, Ryan said, as well as anyone who may need grief counseling.

“We’ve all cried a lot - first in horror, but then because of the outpouring generosity and compassion.”

- PeJay Ryan

Memorial bracelets to honor the victims are also being created. And the foundation worked with Bank of America to set up a text-to-donate option as well, she said. To donate to the Stoneman Douglas fund, text PARKLAND to 20222.

“We are in a unique position here, no one expected this to happen,” said Ryan. “We’ve all cried a lot – first in horror, but then because of the outpouring generosity and compassion.”

Additionally, at least one scholarship fund has been set up in the name of one of Wednesday's shooting victims.

If you live in Florida, consider donating blood

If you live in Florida, a local blood center is asking for your help, especially if your blood type is O negative.

“While the immediate blood needs have been met, there is a need to replenish the area's O negative blood supply. O negative is the universal blood type and is used to treat trauma patients,” OneBlood said in a statement.

As of Feb. 19, at least four shooting victims were still being treated at local hospitals.

Florida attorney general vows to cover funeral expenses

Florida Attorney General Pamela Bondi announced Wednesday that her office would pay for the funeral expenses of the 17 victims who died as a result of the shooting.

"We will pay for the funeral expenses of these poor victims," Bondi said. "We will take care of it."

Free transportation for victims’ families

JetBlue Airways is providing free transportation for family members of victims who are traveling to Florida, the airline announced in a blog post.

“This week’s events are felt by all of our 21,000 crewmembers, many of whom live in, work from and travel through the Broward County area, home to our Focus City, Fort Lauderdale," JetBlue said. "We want to do our part to help the community, and support South Florida through this difficult time."

Volunteers in the Family Assistance Center will help people book the free travel, the airline said.

Once the families have arrived in Florida, ride-sharing service Lyft will provide free ground transportation in partnership with JetBlue, spokesperson Campbell Matthews confirmed to Fox News, adding the company is "heartbroken by the tragedy."

JetBlue is also partnering with the Florida Panthers hockey team to hold a blood drive on Feb. 22.

"Parkland Strong" t-shirts

To "do what [they] can to make a difference," a veteran-owned apparel company based in Savannah, Georgia, created a limited time “Parkland Strong” t-shirt.

Nine Line Apparel, working alongside the Broward Education Foundation, will donate 100 percent of the proceeds from the t-shirts to the victims' families.

“It’s not about turning a profit. It’s about doing what’s right and remembering those who are no longer with us," Nine Line Apparel CEO and Co-founder Tyler Merritt said in a press release. "We honor those who have been lost through unique t-shirt designs and then donate all of the profits to those whose lives were changed forever."